If you are passionate about high-quality safeguarding, confident decision-making and championing children’s rights, this is an opportunity to bring your experience as a Child Protection Chair and Independent Reviewing Officer to a supportive and ambitious council.

At Bracknell Forest, we pride ourselves on being a council which is stable and well-managed where our employees can thrive in a supportive environment. We understand the importance of a healthy work-life balance and offer a variety of flexible working practices, including options for remote working and arrangements that allow you to work from home, dependent on the needs of the service.

This role includes an expectation to work from our Time Square main office or other work locations for all meetings, conferences and Children Looked After Reviews in placements, alongside flexible working arrangements from home.

About You...

This is an excellent opportunity for a dedicated Child Protection Chair and Independent Reviewing Officer to make a meaningful impact on the lives of vulnerable children. Working at the heart of our safeguarding service, you will use your knowledge, experience and professional influence to challenge, support and improve practice across the organisation.

You will have proven experience leading Child Looked After Reviews, Child Protection Conferences and other complex meetings, helping to ensure every child receives the protection, support and opportunities they deserve.

You will be Social Work England registered.

About The Team...

We are a small, highly experienced team of professionals who work collaboratively to make a real difference for children and young people. We are committed to maintaining a strong focus on our statutory responsibilities, guided by frameworks such as the Bracknell Forest Child Protection Procedures, Working Together, Keeping Children Safe in Education, and the IRO Handbook. Together, we strive to deliver high-quality oversight and support that promotes positive outcomes for children subject to child protection plans and children in care.

We have high aspirations for all our children and work closely with partners to ensure they are safe within their families and supported to achieve their full potential in stable care arrangements. We take a holistic approach to supporting families, offering both high levels of support and appropriate challenge to achieve the best possible outcomes.

Key responsibilities…

As a Child Protection Chair and Independent Reviewing Officer, you will be responsible for:

quality assuring the care planning arrangements for each child, ensuring their wishes and feelings fully contribute to the planning for them and in line with the statutory guidance for Independent Reviewing Officers.
chairing of child protection conferences and related quality assurance activity in line with child protection procedures and ensuring the voice of the child is central to the safeguarding arrangements for them.
contributing to service and directorate wide quality assurance activity to support learning and development across the workforce.

Please note: Children's services are currently progressing its Families First transformation programme. This role may be subject to changes to its responsibilities, reporting arrangements and/or job description. Any proposed changes would be managed in accordance with the council's relevant consultation processes and policies.

Our benefits…

28 days annual leave increasing to 33 days after 3 years’ continuous service, with the opportunity to buy up to 10 and sell up to 5 days.
Hybrid working opportunities to support your wellbeing and work-life balance.
Paid employee volunteering scheme.
Local government pension scheme, with life insurance cover.
Electric vehicle salary sacrifice scheme (subject to eligibility).
Reimbursement of Social Work England registration.
Recognition of continuous service attained within the NHS and UKHSA when calculating some benefits. (Terms and Conditions apply)
Career development through internal and external training opportunities.
Enhanced maternity, paternity, adoption and fostering leave.
Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support your health and wellbeing
Inclusive and social working environment with a variety of staff networks and a sports and social club.

Find out more about all our benefits or see the candidate pack.

Our values

At Bracknell Forest Council our values define who we are and what is important to us. Our core values are inclusive, ambitious, and always learning. These values influence the way we work with each other and the way we serve our residents and engage with our communities. We make our values real by demonstrating them in how we behave every day. If you are excited about joining a diverse team that celebrates learning and strives for excellence, we would love to hear from you.

Reasonable adjustments

We are committed to ensuring an inclusive recruitment process for all applicants. If you require any reasonable adjustments to support your application or interview, please let us know by contacting recruitment@bracknell-forest.gov.uk. We will work with you to support you throughout the process. Find out more about reasonable adjustments.

Disability confident and inclusive recruitment

Bracknell Forest Council is proud to be an inclusive employer. This means that if you have made us aware on the application form that you have a disability, are an armed forces veteran or you are a care leaver, you will be guaranteed an interview if you meet the essential criteria outlined in the person specification.

Interview date

Interviews will be held on 14th and 15th September.

Interviews will be conducted in person, providing candidates with the chance to personally meet the team and experience our work environment.

We will be reviewing applications regularly and reserve the right to close the advert early if suitable candidates are identified. To avoid disappointment, you are advised to submit your application as soon as possible.

Please note AI is prohibited during the interview, any candidate using AI will be withdrawn from consideration.

Want to ask us a question?

For an informal discussion or to ask any questions about this role, please contact:

Sadia Hanif, Conference and Review Team Manager on 01344 351289.

Bracknell Forest Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. We expect everyone employed with us to share this commitment. All successful candidates for this role will be subject to a DBS (Disclosure & Barring Service) check as part of our pre-employment checks process.

Candidates should be able to demonstrate experience of working within the current Social Care System and Framework.

We can only accept applications from candidates currently residing in the UK.

Candidates currently residing in the UK who require sponsorship to work are encouraged to assess their eligibility for a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) based on the relevant criteria. Please be aware that sponsorship availability varies and is subject to eligibility requirements and budget limitations. As a result, we cannot guarantee sponsorship for all roles and will evaluate sponsorship requests on a case-by-case basis.

No agencies please

Equal Opportunities

Bracknell Forest Council – Working for Equality. We welcome applications from all sections of the community.

How to apply

Please apply online via the link provided.

Please note, we do not accept CVs submitted without a fully completed online application form.

Child Protection Chair and Independent Reviewing Officer

Employer:

Bracknell Forest Council

Salary:

£64,823 - £67,102 per year inclusive of London Weighting and Essential Car User Allowance

Location:

Time Square, Bracknell (Hybrid working)

Contract:

Permanent

Working Pattern:

Full Time

Hours:

37 hours per week.

DBS Check:

Enhanced

Closing Date:

06/09/2026 at 23:59

Reference:

People/26/343614

If you are passionate about high-quality safeguarding, confident decision-making and championing children’s rights, this is an opportunity to bring your experience as a Child Protection Chair and Independent Reviewing Officer to a supportive and ambitious council.

At Bracknell Forest, we pride ourselves on being a council which is stable and well-managed where our employees can thrive in a supportive environment. We understand the importance of a healthy work-life balance and offer a variety of flexible working practices, including options for remote working and arrangements that allow you to work from home, dependent on the needs of the service.

This role includes an expectation to work from our Time Square main office or other work locations for all meetings, conferences and Children Looked After Reviews in placements, alongside flexible working arrangements from home.

About The Team...

We are a small, highly experienced team of professionals who work collaboratively to make a real difference for children and young people. We are committed to maintaining a strong focus on our statutory responsibilities, guided by frameworks such as the Bracknell Forest Child Protection Procedures, Working Together, Keeping Children Safe in Education, and the IRO Handbook. Together, we strive to deliver high-quality oversight and support that promotes positive outcomes for children subject to child protection plans and children in care.

We have high aspirations for all our children and work closely with partners to ensure they are safe within their families and supported to achieve their full potential in stable care arrangements. We take a holistic approach to supporting families, offering both high levels of support and appropriate challenge to achieve the best possible outcomes.

Key responsibilities…

As a Child Protection Chair and Independent Reviewing Officer, you will be responsible for:

quality assuring the care planning arrangements for each child, ensuring their wishes and feelings fully contribute to the planning for them and in line with the statutory guidance for Independent Reviewing Officers.
chairing of child protection conferences and related quality assurance activity in line with child protection procedures and ensuring the voice of the child is central to the safeguarding arrangements for them.
contributing to service and directorate wide quality assurance activity to support learning and development across the workforce.

28 days annual leave increasing to 33 days after 3 years’ continuous service, with the opportunity to buy up to 10 and sell up to 5 days.
Hybrid working opportunities to support your wellbeing and work-life balance.
Paid employee volunteering scheme.
Local government pension scheme, with life insurance cover.
Electric vehicle salary sacrifice scheme (subject to eligibility).
Reimbursement of Social Work England registration.
Recognition of continuous service attained within the NHS and UKHSA when calculating some benefits. (Terms and Conditions apply)
Career development through internal and external training opportunities.
Enhanced maternity, paternity, adoption and fostering leave.
Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support your health and wellbeing
Inclusive and social working environment with a variety of staff networks and a sports and social club.

Job description and Person specification
Application pack

Apply Online

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